March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 49 F

Chesapeake Bay Trust announces $1.6M in 2015 grants

CBT-CheckOff_Ad-130x130_line35The Chesapeake Bay Trust just announced the approval of 83 grants totaling $1,688,175 to enable a wide range of organizations to implement on the-ground restoration and education projects and programs. Four times each year the Trust’s board of trustees announces its grant approvals which help local nonprofit organizations, local governments, and schools improve water quality and better local communities through a variety of outreach and restoration techniques. The grants announced today range from small tree plantings and community outreach initiatives to large-scale environmental education efforts and stormwater management projects. In fiscal year 2014, the Chesapeake Bay Trust awarded more than $9.3 million in grants—the largest amount ever in the organization’s history.

“The Chesapeake Bay Trust offers a wide range of grant programs so that organizations ranging from small homeowner associations and faith-based institutions to large cities and universities have an opportunity to receive funding to improve both their communities and the natural resources of the Chesapeake region,” said Jana Davis, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “Each grant cycle we fund some innovative efforts that not only help communities improve water quality, but also educate citizens on ways they can better their local environment.”

Today’s announcement of more than $1.6 million in grants was awarded through seven of the Trust’s grant programs and special initiatives including Outreach and Restoration, Environmental Education, Mini Grants and a host of county and topic-specific initiatives. Special funding and technical partners for these awards included Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, Charles County, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office. The Trust has more than 20 grant programs available that specialize in a variety of restoration, outreach and educational efforts, which are open at various times throughout the year.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a nonprofit, grant-making organization dedicated to improving the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers through environmental education, community outreach, and local watershed restoration. In addition to private and public partnerships, the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s funding comes from two other major sources: the Treasure the Chesapeake license plate program and donations the Bay Fund on the Maryland state income tax form. Since its inception in 1985, the Trust has awarded more than $70 million in grants that has engaged hundreds of thousands of area residents in efforts designed to improve water quality and better local communities. For more information on the Trust’s grant programs and how to get involved, visit www.cbtrust.org.

February 2015 Chesapeake Bay Trust Grant Program Awards:

Outreach and Restoration: This grant program encourages outreach and community engagement activities and on-the-ground restoration activities. Twenty-six grants were awarded totaling $794,784 to: The Church of the Redeemer, University of Maryland College Park, Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, Blue Water Baltimore (2), Spa Creek Conservancy, Kadampa Mediation Center Maryland, Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, American Farmland Trust, Western Maryland Resource Conservation & Development Council, Baltimore Tree Trust, Cecil County, Prettyboy Watershed Alliance, Ridge to Reefs, Carroll County, Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy, National Aquarium in Baltimore, University of Maryland Baltimore, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Amazon Grace Lutheran Church, Mount Royal Community Development Corporation, Middle Patuxent Environmental Foundation, Park & People Foundation (2), Friends of Stoney Run, and Cross Country Elementary.

Environmental Education: Two grant initiatives were just announced: the Trust’s Environmental Education Grant program and the Environmental Literacy Planning initiative in partnership with NOAA and the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office. In total 18 grants were awarded totaling $475,000 to: Talbot County Public Schools, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Wicomico County Public Schools, Pickering Creek Audubon Center, Calvert County Public Schools, Carnegie Institution for Science, Alice Ferguson Foundation, Evergreen Heritage Center Foundation, Patterson Park Audubon Center, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Annapolis Maritime Museum, Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy, Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, The Mountain Institute, Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Education, District of Columbia Environmental Education Consortium, and the Virginia Resource Use Education Council.

Mini Grant Program and County-Specific Programs: Recipients from four Trust grant programs were also just announced: the Trust’s Mini Grant program (awards up to $5,000) to 13 grant recipients totaling $43,313; one grant announcement through Charles County’s Forestry Grant program for $2,479; 12 awards were approved through the Prince George’s County Rain Check Rebate program for $1,643; and 13 grants were just announced through the Montgomery County Watershed Restoration and Outreach Grant program totaling $370,756.

For more information on any of these specific grant awards, email Molly Alton Mullins at [email protected].

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